Hot Wheels Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution | HW J-Imports

Description

The Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution stands as the most successful production based rally raid vehicle in Dakar Rally history, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most Dakar wins by any manufacturer. Mitsubishi’s involvement with the race began back in 1983, and after regulation changes ahead of the 1997 event required manufacturers to homologate their rally cars from genuine road going models, Mitsubishi developed the Pajero Evolution specifically to meet those rules. Based on the second generation Pajero’s unibody shell but heavily reworked with a wide body kit, revised suspension, and a 3.5 litre 24 valve V6 producing around 275 horsepower, just 2,693 street legal examples were built for homologation between 1997 and 1999, sold exclusively in Japan.

On the rally stage, the Pajero Evolution proved utterly dominant, securing 12 outright Dakar victories between 1985 and 2007, including a historic 1-2-3 finish in 1998 and five consecutive wins from 2001 to 2005. Distinctive design elements carried over from its competition roots included a functional hood scoop, dual rear spoilers, flared fenders, and front and rear Torsen limited slip differentials, giving the road going version a genuinely race bred character rarely found on a factory built SUV. Today, these rare homologation specials are highly sought after by collectors, having only recently become eligible for import into markets like the United States decades after their original release.

Hot Wheels brings this Dakar legend into its HW J-Imports series, a lineup celebrating notable Japanese performance vehicles. This casting captures the Pajero Evolution’s wide, aggressive stance, functional hood scoop, and rally inspired bodywork at 1:64 scale, paying tribute to one of the most decorated off road competition vehicles ever built.

Why You Should Own It?

• Represents the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution, the most successful production based Dakar car ever
• Part of the Hot Wheels HW J-Imports series, celebrating Japanese performance icons
• Captures the Evolution’s wide body kit, hood scoop, and rally bred styling accurately
• Represents a genuine, extremely rare homologation special with only 2,693 examples built
• Great pickup for JDM, off road rally, and Dakar themed collections
• Durable die cast metal build with authentic Hot Wheels detailing